Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-01
Lamar on Land Grants.


Secretary Lamar recital Of tho his
tory OF land grant transactions by which
the corporations freely defrauded the
government and the people. and by
which thousands Of actual settlers have
been subjected to hardships and impo-
sitions, but repeats what has been many
times told before and had become en-
tirely familiar to the people. 1t is in
all respects the most scandalous chapter
ing as it does wanton abuse Of public
trusts and a disregard of the public in
terests continued through years by the
agents Of the people. In the extent and
widespread effects of the wrongs done
under the land grant policy of the gov
ernment perhaps there is not a parallel
to be found in any other
nation. While contributing little
that is new to this dark record, Secre-
tary Lamar has shown proper appre-
citation of its character in continuing it.
1t is interesting to observe, however,
that in performing this duty Mr.. Lamar
has taken advantage of the opportunity
to make a strong claim for himself in
connection with the effort that has been
made to reform the land policy and
remedy some of the eyils that have grown
up under it. He informs the country
that shortly after he entered upon the
duties of his Office he became impressed
with the fact that the public domain
was being diverted from it's legitimate
purpose and converted to objects repug-
nant to the entire theory on which the
land system was based. The
effect of this impression was
to lead him to most careful investiga-
tion and study of the history and law re-
lating to land grants, and the inevita-
BILE inference is conveyed that as re-
suit there was instituted the policy of
reform which perhaps more than any
other has become the boast of the ad-
ministration.
1t would appear from this that public
opinion has not been dealing justly with
Secretary Lamar. The popular impress
sion has been, derived from his numer-
| Gus reversal of decisions unfavorable to
the corporations, that the secretary
either had not carefully informed
himself regarding the history and
the law of land grants or was
| not seriously concerned about
the division of the public domain
from its legitimate purpose. 1t Is not
remembered to the credit of Mr.. Lamar's
solicitude for reform that he furthered
any action in that direction until after
the letter of the president in the Gull
ford Miller case pointcdly indicated to
him what was desired and expected.
Following this very explicit declaration
of the views and wishes OF the executive
the secretary began to show practical
interest in the subject, and in due time
the land grant corporations were called
upon to show cause why the withdrawal
OF indemnity lands in their behalf
should not be revoked. There
may be people capable OF
believing that Mr.. Lamar would
have taken this action if he had never
received suggestion on the subject
from the president, but we think most
people will doubt that he would have
done any such thing. The issue which
drew out the letter OF the president was
presented to his attention by Commits
sioner Sparks, doubtless for the reason
that he believed it would be unsafe to
first take it to the secretary, and it did
not require n very long time for Mr.
Cleveland to determine what policy the
law and justice demanded. 1t is to be
presumed that up to this time the presi
dent had given very little more than 9
passing attention to the general subject
yet he very promptly found policy
while Mr.. Lamar after two years study
of the law and history of land grant.
was unable to formulate one, or at least
did not do SO.
1t is very questionable whether Sec
retary Lamar will be able to convince
the present generation that he is en-
titled to any great consideration il
connection With the policy of land re
form. His assumption of special merit
in that work, handed down among the
public records of this time, may give
him fame as land rcformer with pos
terlty, but his attempt to pose in The
role now is failure. The record il
heavily and Enthusiastically against him